Page 107 of The Girls in the Snow

Lacey wasn’t going to grow up without a mother. Nikki would find a way to get out of this, no matter the cost.

Bobby zip-tied her wrists behind her back and then used the bungee cord to pin her to one of the kitchen chairs. “What are we going to do with her?”

“Take her with us. Get rid of her somewhere she won’t be found.”

Bobby held an ice pack to his nose and stared at his mother. “You’re going to kill an FBI agent?” he whispered.

“I’m going to do whatever it takes to keep you safe,” Mindy snapped. “That’s what I’ve been doing the entire time. I won’t let our lives be destroyed like the Todd family. Do you know what it’s been like for those poor people? They were pariahs for years, and John Banks had everything.”

“Mark Todd is innocent,” Bobby said. “I’m not.”

“That girl seduced you,” Mindy replied, more to herself than her son. “Madison pushed you too far. She apparently didn’t care that her father ruined so many lives.”

“But won’t I be just like him?” Bobby said. “If I run off and let someone take the fall—even if it’s John Banks—aren’t I doing the exact same thing?”

“Yes,” Nikki interrupted. “No one has more reason to hate John Banks than me. But I can bring him to justice. Bobby, I can get you a reduced sentence if you help me. The truth comes out and everyone is free. But not like this.”

Mindy rolled her eyes. “Surely you aren’t that naive? Without my husband’s side of the story, how are we to prove how John’s actions affected our family?”

“All of the evidence is there. If the defense lays it out just right, it will be obvious to everyone in the room that Bobby never had a chance.”

“Bobby killed two teenaged girls,” Mindy snapped. “No one’s going to give him a pass for having a shitty life.”

“One,” Nikki corrected. “You knew Madison was still breathing when you put her into the freezer, didn’t you?”

Mindy looked at her son. “She wasn’t.”

“She had frostbite,” Nikki said. “She died in that freezer, which makes you an accessory at the least. But the prosecutor will charge you with second-degree murder. I’ve seen Kaylee’s body and her autopsy. There’s no sign she was raped or beaten. She was strangled, but a good defense attorney can make the case for your son—”

“We can’t afford a defense attorney,” Mindy spat. “Just be quiet and let me think.”

“Mom, if we kill her, we’ll never be safe. We’ll be on the most wanted list by tomorrow.”

Nikki glanced at the microwave clock. Almost eight p.m. Time to tell Lacey good night. She swallowed the rising knot in her throat. Liam had to know something was wrong. And Rory expected her at his house tonight. Her jeep had specialized plates and she’d parked right in front of the Vances’ house.

Bobby seemed to read her mind. “I put her car in the garage. We leave her tied up and run, right now. By the time she’s found, we’ll be long gone.”

“And still be wanted by the FBI. That’s a done deal no matter what we do with her.”

“At least we won’t be wanted for killing her. Canada’s only a few hours away.”

Mindy was at least four inches shorter than him, but she seemed to tower over her son. She smacked him across the face, the ice pack flying out of his hand. In the few days since Nikki had first met her, the stress had pushed Mindy to her breaking point. She seemed like she was capable of anything. “She knows what you did. I’m trying to cover up for your idiocy.”

Unshed tears shined in Bobby’s eyes. “No one would have thought of us if you’d just stayed away from the Bankses.”

“Don’t you dare blame this on me,” Mindy shouted. “You brought this on us.”

“I’ll speak for you at trial,” Nikki said. “I can make a case for both of your mental states. God knows I understand a mother trying to protect her child.”

Reality seemed to be sinking in on Mindy. She leaned against the counter, her hands shaking. “That’s all I was trying to do. He made his mistakes, but he’s learned from them. Haven’t you, honey?”

Trying not to squirm and draw attention to herself, Nikki found the metal hooks of the bungee cord and carefully separated them.

Bobby seemed unfazed by her words. “You killed that dancer. How was that protecting me, Mom?”

“Amy told me the police didn’t think Frost killed the girls,” Mindy said. “I had to do something to lead them away from you, especially since you’d started getting friendly with this woman.”

“You didn’t even know Janelle?” Nikki asked.

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